Chapter One
Arthur Kirkland and his son, Peter, were on their own after his recent divorce. It was a big change, and Arthur wasn't handling it very well. Peter knew how sad his daddy was; Drinking his nights away and sleeping the day away. It made Peter so lonely.
His life was already so confusing. He was just eight years old, and he had been told his mommy was leaving them and he was going to live in America. He had no friends here. School hadn't started yet, so he hadn't had the chance to meet anyone.
He spent most of his days sitting in his room reading, or talking to his imaginary friends. Sometimes he would cry, but only late at night; He didn't want his dad to see him so upset. He quickly learned that was nothing to fear, though, as his father only bothered him when it was time to eat.
Eventually, he got tired of it. It was time to take action. He had it all planned out: He would barge into his father's study, deliver a well thought out speech about why his behavior was ridiculous, and demand the old Brit spend some time with him.
However, things didn't go exactly as planned. Instead, he ran into his dad's room, jumped onto his bed, and started sobbing: "You big jerk! I demand to be given some attention! I have done nothing for months and I am quite sick of it!"
Arthur was startled awake by his sobbing boy's actions, and at first, he was quite worried something terrible had happened. Once he registered Peter's words, he realized that wasn't far from the truth.
Over the past few months, Arthur had neglected his responsibilities as a father. His son needed him now more than ever, he had been too absorbed in his own sorrows to care. He was awful.
He slowly wrapped his arms around the sobbing boy and hugged him closely. "You're right, Peter... I'm sorry. I've been a real git," He let out a deep sigh, "What would you like to do? We'll do anything you want, so long as it's reasonable."
Truthfully, Arthur was in no state to go out. He had a dreadful hangover, and he was quite certain he could sleep six or so more hours, but it was all worth it when he saw his boy's face light up in a grin.
"You really mean it!? Oh boy! Can we go to the park!? I bet there are lots of other children there!"
Arthur had to chuckle at Peter's enthusiasm. It was too cute. "Sure thing. Go get ready. We'll leave in a half-hour." Peter wasted no time. He jumped off the bed and ran to his room to get ready.
Arthur, on the other hand, wasn't quite as eager to go out and face the world. He'd only left home several times in the past few months to get groceries, and even that had made him want to scream. He was quite lucky his job as a writer practically never called for him to leave his home.
Still, he had made a promise. Peter deserved a bit of happiness. He was sure this was no easier on his son than it was on him. In fact, it was probably harder, since no one had explained to him what was going on. One day his mother was there, the next she wasn't. And then they were off to the states.
Peter hadn't had much of a reaction to the whole situation. More than anything, he just seemed confused, and Arthur was in no state to explain things to him. In fact, he was still pretty confused himself.
So the least he could do was give his boy a nice afternoon at the park. Hopefully he could make some new friends to get his mind off of everything.
Thirty minutes later, they were ready.
Well, sort of. Arthur learned it probably wasn't best to let an eight-year-old choose their own clothes, and he had to make the boy change, but not without great struggle.
Once Peter was properly dressed and wearing two of the same shoes, they were off. Arthur cringed as soon as the light hit his eyes, but he did his best not to show his obvious discomfort.
He wasn't too good at hiding it, though, and he could see the concern in Peter's eyes. His son didn't ask about it, because he knew just what was causing his daddy pain, and it made him sad to even think about.
But all his sorrows disappeared as soon as they arrived at the park. There were plenty of kids there, and Peter was so excited. Arthur told Peter to go off and make friends -but to stay in his sight- while he took a seat on a nearby bench.
Peter returned only moments later. He took a seat next to Arthur and crossed his arms. He looked like he was trying very hard not to cry.
"What's wrong, Peter?" He couldn't possibly imagine what could have gone wrong. Peter had seemed so excited only moments before.
"Those jerks made fun of my voice and called me 'bush brows.'" Arthur nearly laughed at the all-too familiar nickname, but he held back. He had been there once. He knew how much it hurt.
He placed a hand on Peter's shoulder and sighed: "Yeah, being made fun of is tough... I can't really tell you to just get over it, because I've been there myself, and it hurts. You shouldn't give up so easily though, Peter. Go try to befriend them again, and if they still make fun of you, just laugh along. If you don't let it affect you, they'll just let it go."
Arthur himself had been given very similar advice on several occasions. He never listened, but maybe he should have. Perhaps then he'd have someone to talk to, instead of drinking his pain away.
Peter seemed to consider the advice, though. After a moment, he pushed himself off the bench and gave his dad a determined smile. "Alright, then! I'll try that out!" And with that, he took off back to where a group of kids was kicking around a football. Arthur chuckled.
He pulled out a novel he had brought with him, knowing he wouldn't have much else to do, and began reading.
He wasn't sure how much time had passed, but when he looked up again, Peter was nowhere in sight.
He was sure his heart stopped. He scanned the area several times, hoping he had just missed him, but he soon realized that wasn't the case.
He threw his book down and shot from his seat. He ran all over, calling out Peter's name. He received many strange looks, and he wanted to punch the people giving them to him. Instead of staring at him, they could be helping!
Luckily, though, it turned out help wasn't necessary. He found Peter at the other end of the park, playing catch with a little boy and a young man. Arthur didn't even think: He just walked up to Peter, grabbed him, and pulled him in for a tight hug.
"What the hell were you thinking, Peter!? I told you to stay where I could see you! I thought you had been kidnapped!" Peter's face turned bright red, and he tried pushing Arthur off of him.
"I- I am fine, Father! I was just making friends..." The other young boy seemed to be finding this whole thing hilarious, while the man was trying to keep him quiet. Though he, too, seemed to find this all quite amusing. That only angered Arthur further. He unhanded his son and approached the taller blond.
"And just who do you think you are!? Wandering off with someone else's child. Are you some kind of pervert?" Arthur's outburst only caused Peter to blush more, the mystery child to practically fall over in a fit of laughter, and the mystery man to throw up his hands in self-defense.
"N-not at all, dude! Peter was just sad 'cuz some jerks were making fun of him, so me and Davie said he was welcome to some play with us. Didn't mean no harm by it!"
Arthur huffed and stepped back from the man. "Even so, you ought to talk to a child's parent before taking off with them. As an adult, you should know that. And you," He turned back to Peter, "This is your fault more than anyone's! I told you to stay where I could see you!" Peter didn't say anything. He just stared at the ground, his face still red and his eyes beginning to water.
Arthur was about to just grab him by the arm and drag him home, when he felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned back to the mystery man -Who he was now realizing was quite good looking- and waited to hear what he had to say.
He looked nervous, like he wasn't even sure for himself what he planned to say, and it showed when he spoke.
"Listen, man... um... I don't wanna sound rude or anything, but... aren't ya kinda overreacting? Pete's fine. We were just havin' some fun! And I'm not a perv or anything! I'm a dad myself." He pointed to the laughing boy.
Arthur wasn't sure whether to feel relieved or pissed. On one hand, nothing had happened to his son. In fact, he had made a friend, which was his goal in the first place. On the other, this stranger was criticizing his parenting.
In the end, Arthur decided it was best to just let it go. For Peter's sake.
"I... I suppose you're right. Alright, Peter, you can play for awhile longer. I'll be right over there," He pointed to a bench off to the side. It was pretty close, so he'd be able to keep a better eye on Peter. He still wasn't sure he trusted these strange people. "If you are leaving this area for any reason, tell me."
Peter nodded enthusiastically before returning to play with the other boy. Arthur had started making his way for the bench, when he heard a voice call out to him.
"Hey, wait up!" He turned around to see the man -God, he needed to learn the names of these people- jogging towards him. "Mind if I sit with ya? I need a little break. Those kids are wearing me out!" He said with a high-pitched laugh that would have been annoying on anyone else, but somehow fit him.
Arthur shrugged: "I don't see why not. It isn't like I own the bench. However, if you're going to accompany me, I do think I should know your name."
The taller man smiled at him and held out his hand. "Alfred F. Jones! Nice to meet ya, British dude!" Arthur scowled at the American's nickname for him, but took his hand nonetheless.
"It's Arthur. Arthur Kirkland." He didn't understand the need to include last names, but if Alfred had done it, he assumed he should as well.
Alfred flashed him a grin. "Nice name! So Peter's your son, huh? You too sure do look alike! Got the eyebrows and everything!"
Arthur gave him an annoyed look. People always had to comment on his bloody eyebrows. Perhaps it was time to get them taken care of.
The shorter blond took a seat before replying, and Alfred copied his actions. "Yes, I suppose we do. You and your son don't look too much alike, though." He felt awful for not knowing the boy's name. He knew Alfred had said it, but he hadn't been paying much attention.
Luckily, Alfred didn't seem to mind. "Yeah, Davie looks a lot like his mom." Alfred explained with a smile.
"Ah, so you're married?" Arthur couldn't be sure why, but the idea of Alfred being with someone made him upset. Probably because it would be harder to bond if one was in a relationship while the other was not. Arthur was hoping he would have a fellow single dad to hang around with.
"Nah. I knocked Davie's mom up when we were both pretty young. She was sixteen and I was seventeen. She wanted to go to college and live her life, while I didn't really have much of a chance in the real world, so I got full custody of him so she could follow her dreams." Alfred, surprisingly, didn't seem at all upset while telling Arthur this. In fact, he had a big smile on his face while he spoke. It was strange.
"I see... That's very kind of you. Most boys, especially at that age, would have had no desire to become a father." Arthur himself was certain that, as a seventeen-year-old, there was no way he could have raised a child.
Alfred, however, was acting as if it were the most normal thing it the world. "It wasn't about being kind. It was about making sure my son didn't end up in an orphanage. Besides, Davie is the best thing that's ever happened to me. If it weren't for him, I'd just be some bum: Sleeping til noon and doing nothing with my life. Now, I'm a happy guy! I've got my own house, a job I love, and the best kid in the world! What more could I ask for?"
Arthur couldn't help but feel envious of Alfred. He was handling this whole single dad business swimmingly, and it made Arthur feel shitty.
"Wow. You really seem to have gotten lucky then." Arthur too had his own house, a job he loved, and a son who meant the world to him, but he was still unhappy. Alfred made him wonder what was wrong with him.
"Yeah, I sure have. So what about you? Are you married?" The question was to be expected, but that didn't mean Arthur wanted to answer it.
Still, he didn't want to be rude. The Briton sighed: "My wife left me a few months ago. It's just Peter and myself now." Arthur felt himself growing emotional, and he busied himself with tugging at a stray string on his shirt.
Alfred looked at him with sad eyes. "I'm sorry to hear that, man. How's Peter taking it?"
Arthur shrugged in reply: "He hasn't had much of a reaction. I guess we all saw it coming. Still, it happened so suddenly. One night she was there, the next she was gone. Then I find out she's taking everything. Everything except Peter. I should be thankful she gave me custody, but I can't help but be angry she didn't even fight for him..." Arthur felt a little strange confessing all this to some stranger, but it felt good to finally talk to someone about it.
"Wow... That really sucks. But if stuff was going bad for a while, I guess it's good you ended it. I get why you'd be pissed. Does she want to see him at all anymore?" The question only strengthened Arthur's anger.
"No. She told me she wants nothing to do with either of us. She never wanted to be a mother. And now she's run off with an old rich man who will give her everything she wants..."
The American gave him a bit of a surprised look. "You got dumped for an old man? This just keeps getting worse!" Arthur couldn't help but chuckle. "Actually, he's probably only a few years older than me. Just... Pretending he's not young and attractive makes me feel better."
Alfred shook his head: "Either way, it was super lame of her to leave you, and even more lame that she left Peter! He's a great kid. Super funny, too. And you... Well, you're kinda scary, but you still seem pretty nice. And you obviously really care about your son. You nearly ripped my head off. You're like a mama bear!"
Arthur ignored being called scary and compared to a mama bear, and instead focused on all the nice things the American had said, even after only knowing him under an hour.
"I... I appreciate that, Alfred." He looked into Alfred's blue eyes as he spoke. They really were beautiful. Then, feeling embarrassed, he turned his attention to Peter and Davie.
The two had given up on catch, and were simply running around and laughing. The sight brought a smile to Arthur's lips. "It's seems they're getting along rather well."
Alfred looked too, a big grin on his face. "Yeah! Good thing, too. I was starting to think Davie was like his old man and just couldn't make friends." Arthur gave him a surprised look. "I find it hard to believe you can't make friends."
"Well, I can now. But when I was his age, I was an awkward kid who just didn't know how to talk to people. I spent all my time absorbed in comic books. It wasn't until I was much older that I gained some confidence."
"I see... Peter has had some trouble making friends, too. He's always been so mature for his age. He just says some strange things sometimes." The American chuckled, "Yeah, I noticed. He's funny, though! He told me he'd be going to the same school as me and Davie! They're the same age, too, so I hope they'll be in the same class."
Arthur smiled at that, but then he realized something about Alfred's words seemed off. "Wait, 'as you and Davie'? What do you mean by that?"
"I'm the gym teacher at Davie's school. Which means I'll be Peter's teacher too!" Alfred explained, smiling. Arthur nodded at the explanation. Alfred being a gym teacher wasn't much of a surprise. He had the body for it.
"Oh, that's nice. I suppose I'll be seeing more of you then?" As if to prove his assumption true, Peter appeared before them, Davie not far behind.
"Dad! We must have Davie over for dinner tonight. He says he's going to teach me how to be a super-hero!" Peter insisted.
Arthur laughed, and nearly agreed, wanting to spend more time with Alfred, but then he remembered the state their home was in. Though Arthur was typically a neat and organized man, things had gotten a little out of hand lately.
"Um... I'm sorry, Peter. Perhaps another night?" The look his son gave him in return was positively heart-breaking. Davie had a similar look on his own face.
Peter only continued to pout, and as he didn't seem like he was going to say anything else, Arthur continued.
"P-perhaps tomorrow?" Lately, Arthur had had trouble refusing his son, and though only a day to clean up and allow strangers into his house certainly wasn't all that convenient for him, he wanted to make Peter happy. He deserved it.
Both boys' eyes lit up in excitement, and Davie flung himself onto his father's lap. "Can we go to Peter's house, Dad!? It'll be so fun!" Alfred laughed and turned his gaze to Arthur, and michevious gleam in his eyes. Arthur was beginning to regret the sudden invitation.
"Sure, kiddo. I don't mind at all, but the British dude is gonna have to give me his number or something so we know how to get there." And then the American did something completely unexpected. He winked. Arthur was quite certain his face was on fire.
Still, he pulled out his phone and added Alfred's number to it, then gave his own number to the taller blond. He told himself he was doing all of this for Peter. Definitely not because Alfred was insanely attractive. Definitely not.
Thanks for reading!
Reviews are very appreciated!
I'll try to get "Maple and Pasta" updated by next week.